The present invention relates to computer networking systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods of providing Internet access to multiple users at a single location.
The Internet is a collection of thousands of computer networks around the globe. Internet usage has grown exponentially since 1993, mainly due to the world wide web (Web) and its electronic mail (e-mail) and web page capabilities. This interconnection of computers is possible because the Internet has adopted a communication standard (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or TCP/IP) which allows computers with different operating systems to communicate with each other over a network of networks (an "internetwork").
By one estimation, over 8 million computers currently attach to the Internet. An estimated 40 million users worldwide access these computers ("hosts").
Corporations and private users increasingly demand easy, cost-effective, and high-speed (e.g., greater than 1 megabits per second or Mbps) access to public interoperable networks such as the Internet. Around the world, the demand for a technical infrastructure for building private networks on top of public networks also is increasing.
As the number of users on the Internet increases, so too do the users grow more sophisticated. Users are demanding greater bandwidth to support this sophistication.
In conventional systems a user might use several different suppliers and components to achieve connectivity and security. The user then has to change equipment and software protocols during his migration from a lower bandwidth (e.g., 56 kilobits per second or kbps) to a higher bandwidth (e.g., 1 Mbps or higher).
Accordingly, there is a need for a substantially simplified infrastructure to access public networks with a reduced number of components, a reduced number of software protocols, enhanced management capabilities for network components, and secure access to the public network.